Tandem hot metal car



TANDEM HOT METAL CAR Filed April-23,'l929 INVENTOR WWW BY ATTORNEY Patented June 30, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL I. ASTROM, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO M. H. TREADWELL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TANDEM HOT METAL GAR Application filed April 23,

This invention relates to tandem hot metal cars of the type wherein a plurality of hot metal containers are mounted on a single car frame having a truck at each end, and has for its object to provide improved combinations for such purpose.

In handling hot metal, it has been found more economical to handle the daily output with a few large car units instead of many small ones, and to this end single horizontal container cars of a capacity up to 150 tons are in successful use in many plants. The advantages of large units reside in economy, upkeep and replacement of worn or broken parts; less work in coupling and switching and handling a less number of cars in the yards; and in the case of iron from blast furnaces there is less work around the furnace because of shorter iron runners, less cleaning and reduction of runner scrap. Larger capacity cars for a given content have lower initial cost by reason of reduction in trucks, wheels, axles, bolsters, arch bars, journal boxes and brake equipment, couplings, draft gears, etc.

Where anti-friction bearings are used on such cars, the difference in cost due to reduction in number of bearings is very marked.

In many plants there are restrictions in height, width, crane capacity, etc., which render it impossible to use the modern large horizontal container cars, but where a car having a plurality of containers with total volume equivalent to that of a large unit car are very advantageous because of the low crane power necessary to lift same, compactness, etc. To meet these special conditions, I have devised the car herein shown that will carry two pots of the size used or suitable for the particular plant in question.

The car comprises an under frame supported on trucks, and equipped with standard couplers, draft gears, brakes, etc. Supported by the trucks in the usual way is a heavy under frame comprising two beams suitably connected and depressed in the middle to allow the ladles to be set as low as possible on this frame. Partly on the depressed portion and partly on the elevated portion are pairs of cradles for carrying two ladles, each 1929. Serial No. 357,590.

cradle having a plurality of bearings located to fit the bearing trunnions on the ladles.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the car embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is an end view.

11 represents the trucks carrying the underframe 2 composed of parallel beams 3 rigidly connected together and depressed as shown. These beams constituting the under frame are disposed between the wheels of each truck sufficiently far away to give the necessary clearance in rounding curves. Mounted on the under frame about over each truck is a cradle 4 provided with bearings 5 in which the ladle 6 is supported. At the middle of the under frame are suitably placed supports 7 on which cradles 8 similar to cradles 4 are mounted in alignment to support the ladles 6. These supports form part of the underframe and thereby stiffen the whole structure. Some spacing is desirable between cradles 8 because when ladles are being handled by a crane on or off the car they might swing and damage themselves or the car. Otherwise the ladles and cradles are put as close together as possible. The ladles are provided with lugs 9 to which the hook of a crane can be attached for dumping, and with spouts 10, 10. Although a cover for the ladle is not shown, same can be used, or an upright closed form of ladle according to 'known construction may be used.

In operation, these ladles usually have to be lifted out of the car to be emptied into a mixer or open hearth furnace and are there fore equipped with crane trunnions 11 extending beyond the supporting trunnions 12. The supports 7 are braced across by plates 13, and rigidly connected to the underframe 2, so that the load on the two middle cradles is evenly distributed on the car frame throughout the braced section. As the combined strength of the middle support and the car frame is many times that of the car frame alone, the maximum bending moment which determines the size of the under frame section is moved toward the ends of the frame, and hence the braced center cradle support minimizes the bending moment in proportion to the length of the base of the center supporting system. As shown by the inclined part of the supports 13 the length of the supporting base for distributing the middle load is made as great as permitted by the clearance between the ladles. V

By' this construction, acar with reduced length in pro-portion to capacity is provided. Also by reason of the drop frame a minimum of height in proportion to capacity is obtained; and by'reason of the car frame construction a minimum bending moment on the frame in proportion to the total of dead weight and live load is obtained, thereby prop 15 ducing a light and economical construction.

The invention claimed is: r 1. A tandem hot metal-car comprising an under frame and a supporting truck at each 'end pairsof alignedladle supporting cradles carried by said vframe, ladles supported by said cradles and having projecting crane .trunnionsto permit the ladles to be lifted on V andofi the car, the adjacent centercradles being spaced apart to permit independent 5 accessto the respective crane trunnions and V thereby permit said ladles to be handled independently of each other.

2. A tandem hot metal car comprising an under frame and a supporting truck at each end, pairs of aligned ladle supporting cradles carried by said frame ladles supported by said cradles and having projecting crane trunnions to permit the ladles to be lifted on and off the car the adjacent center cradles being spaced apart sufliciently to provide clearance for the projecting crane trunnions and being so connected to the under frame as to distribute the center load longitudinally of the'under frame. I is Signed at New York, in the county of New York-and State of New York, this 17th day ofAprihA. D. 1929. i r CARL P. ASTROM. 

